US aviation authority ends ban on use of electronic devices during flight

US passengers will still not be able to make mobile phone calls during their flights.

AFP

The US Federal Aviation Administration has ended a long-standing ban on using portable electronic devices on planes.

Passengers will now be able to use smart phones and tablets in airplane mode to play games and read downloaded materials like e-books and calendars during all phases of flight, including takeoff and landing.

Passengers will also be allowed to connect with an airline's Wi-Fi network and use bluetooth accessories like wireless mouse and headphones.

"Most commercial airlines can tolerate radio interference from portable electronic devices," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said at a news conference at Reagan National Airport near Washington, DC.

"It's safe to read downloaded materials, like e-books, calendars and to play games."

However, talking on the phone in-flight is still banned.

The US aviation authority also says the new electronic devices policy will not apply in conditions of extremely low visibility when crews will give special instructions.

The new rule applies to the vast majority of US airlines flying domestically and internationally.

Delta Air Lines and JetBlue quickly filed plans with the FAA to show that their aircraft can tolerate radio signals from electronic devices, a condition required by the regulator.

Mr Huerta said he sought updated guidance on the matter, since the current policy was put in place about 50 years ago.

Qantas says FAA decision is 'interesting'

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) says it is unlikely to stand in the way if airlines make the decision to lift the ban on the use of electronic devices or phones during flight.

A spokesman for CASA says there are no laws banning phone use on planes in Australia, but local airlines have always adopted international policies.

He says that if airlines were to change their policy, "it would be hard for the Australian authority to object".

A statement from Qantas says the US aviation authority's decision is "interesting" and it will review the change in regulations.

Move praised by industry groups, tech fans

Technology fans have recently decried the "high cost to the traveling public" of passengers not having unfettered access to their mobile devices.

"More than 105 million hours of disrupted technological activity on domestic flights is projected in 2013 - an estimated 104 per cent increase since 2010 - due to the FAA ban on the use of devices during takeoffs and landings," according to a May 2013 study by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitcan Development at Chicago's DePaul University.

Among those giving input to the FAA for the long-awaited decision were representatives of airlines, plane manufacturers, passengers, flight attendants and the mobile technology industry.

A backer of the change, the Consumer Electronics Association on Wednesday urged the agency to ease restrictions before the busy holiday travel season.

It said the FAA's move "will bring policy on in-flight use of devices up to speed with the 21st century".

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA applauded the decision as it pushed for "uniform technical, operational, and training standards that will allow for the safe, managed expansion of [person electronic device] usage by passengers."

The US Travel Association, an industry group, praised the move as a "common-sense, win-win" policy.